Chayote...............

Am I the only one who didn't have a clue what this spiny thing is? Roger is an adventuress shopper so when he found this in a market he talked to the produce man and learned that it is a squash.

First you have to navigate through the spines - very sharp - which need to be removed before you can cut into it. The shell is hard - somewhat like an acorn squash. The meat is a cream color and fairly firm (nothing like a summer squash).

I checked the Internet to find some cooking ideas and finally decided to do something very basic and simple. After getting rid of the spines and cutting into the squash, I discarded the skin and core and just sliced it into random shaped pieces. Tonight I sauteed some green onions and red bell pepper in olive oil, added the chayote and a little water. With a lid on the pan it took about 20 minutes to cook into a simi crunchy squash. It has a mild flavor but it's very delicious. We served it with rice and pan fried fresh salmon. We've decided to add this vegetable to our future shopping list.